Vernonia eagle., January 31, 1946, Page 3, Image 3

j U
LET’S BE SOCIABLE
Annual Masonic Event
Saturday Eve. Thought
One of Most Enjoyable
Melba Johnson, warden; May
White, conductor;. Grace Curry,
chaplain; Lena Schroeder, RSNG;
Edna Linn, LSNG; Edna Gwin,
RSVG; Orene Robertson, LSVG;
inside guardian, Opal Counts;
outside guardian, Eva Hearing;
musician, Muriel Knight; flag
bearer, Irene Minger; and drill
captain, Helen Fuller. Emil Mes­
sing was re-elected trustee for
a three-year term. Sister Evelyn
Heath presented Sister Alice
Gwin with her Past Noble Grand
Jewell. Refreshments of ice
cream and cake were served to
50 members by the hostesses,
Nan Crume, Mary Sawyer, Mar­
ie Shafer and Velva Ramsey.
The annual Masonic birthday
dinner held at the temple last
Saturday night was judged by
many to be one of the best ever
held by several who attended the
event. The dinner was attended
by 113 Masons, many of them
from neighboring cities.
Of special interest was the
fact that 10 past masters and
three of the four charter mem­
bers living here were present.
Past Masters who enjoyed the I.O.O.F. to Initiate
turkey dinner and the many oth­ Six New Prospects
er food items that go with it
The I.O.O.F. lodge is planning
were: J. E. Tapp, F. D. MacPher-
son, E. G. Anderson, Emil Mes­ for the initiation of six new
sing, Glen Hawkins, Tom Craw­ prospective members into the or­
ford, Ray Mills, C. L. Brock, ganization at the next meeting
Frank Lane and Paul Gordon. of the group on February 5th.
Mr. Gordon was also in charge On the meeting dated for Feb­
ruary 12 a class of seven is
of arrangements for the evening. scheduled.
The three charter members at­
tending were: Bruce McDonald,
A. L. Kullander and Albert Livingstones Honored
At Farewell Reception
Childs.
Visitors were present from St.
Rev. and Mrs. W. 0. Living­
Helens, Orenomah, Beaverton, stone were honored last Friday
Portland, Clatskanie and Rainier. evening when a farewell recep­
tion was held in the First Christ­
ian church social hall by mem­
Rebekahs Install
bers of the church.
New Officers
At the regular meeting of the
Rebekah lodge Thursday evening,
Jan. 24, newlv-elected officers
were installed for their current
term.
Acting as installing officers
were: District Deputy President
Evelyn Heath. Deputy Marshall
Zoe Whits'll, Denuty Warden
May Mellinger, Chaplain Ruby
Biggs, Sec etary Flcrence Mes­
sing. Treasurer Dorothy Sandon,
Inside Guard’in Vera Willard,
Outside Guardian Ella Cline and
Musician Ma.de Kobrw.
The newly-elected orficers are:
Faye Davis N. G.: Silvia Tur­
ner, V.G.: Juanita Edwards, sec­
retary; Ethel Peasnall, treasur­
er. The appointed officers are:
COMPLEMENTARY
COIFFURES
About 60 members of the con­
gregation were present to honor
the Livingstones and to present
them with a generous purse. Re­
freshments were served at the
close of the affair.
Ball Squads Enjoy
G. A. A. Party Wed.
High school boys who were
members of the football squad
and who are now playing bas­
ketball were entertained at a par­
ty Wednesday evening of this
week by the Girl’s Athletic as­
sociation of the school. The event
was held at the gym. Refresh­
ments for those attending ended
the evening.
At the
Churches
Sunday school convenes at 10
a.m. at 925 Rose Ave und­
er the direction of Charles
Long, Branch President. Polly
II. Lynch, Superintendent.
7:00 P.M. — Evening Sacrament
ST. MARY’S CATHOLIC
Rev. Anthony V. Gerace
Rev. J. H. Goodrich
Mass: 9:30 a.m. except first
Sunday in month—Mass at
8:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.
Confessions from 7:45 a.m. on.
Phone 7712
Buy the BEST paint on
the market!
Paperhanging
1946 WALLPAPER
Estimates given within
radius of 30 miles.
DON’T
FORGET
THE
VETERAN
E. E. UPGARD
PHONE 1262
ASSEMBLY OF GOD
VERNONIA EAGLE Thursday, Jan. 31, 1946
FIR-TEX CO. PAYS
$10,780 FOR ACREAGE
ST. HELENS — Fir-Tex In­
sulating Board Co. will receive a
deed for 2,838.21 acres of land,
most of it in the Nehalem coun­
try. The local concern sent the
county a check for $10,780 in
full paymefit for the parcel of
land.
—Rev. H. Gail McIlroy, Pastor
9:45—Sunday school with clas­
ses for all ages.
11:00—Morning worship.
7:30—Evangelistic service.
7:30 —Wednesday, prayer meet­
ing.
7:30 — Friday, Bible study.
DON'T GAMBLE
ON QUALITY!
It is not a safe proce­
dure to risk your fam­
ily’s health on doubt­
ful quality food. Shop
where you KNOW
you’ll get the best re­
gardless of what item
you buy. Shop Nehalem
—The T.ivingstones. Ministers
9:45—Bible School led by M. L.
Herrin.
11:00— Junior church, Bernice
Tunnell, Snp’t.
11:00—Morning communion ser-
5 to 6 — Vesper hour.
vice and preaching.
7:30 Wed.—Prayer meeting.
EVANGELICAL
—Rev. Allen H. Backer, Minister
9:45 — Sunday school.
11:00 — Morning worship.
6:30 — Junior Endeavor and
Evangelical Youth Fellowship
7:30 P. M.—Evangelistic service
7:30 Thurs. — Bible study and
prayer.
Your proposal to me in Washington last
evening that the wage demand of the United
Steelworkers of America-CIO be settled on
the basis of a wage increase of 18% cents
an hour, retroactive to January 1, 1946, can­
not, I regret to say, be accepted by the
United States Steel Corporation for the rea­
sons set forth below.
As you must be aware, your proposal is
almost equivalent to granting in full the
Union's revised demand of a wage increase
of 19% cents an hour, which was advanced
by Philip Murray, the President of the Union,
at our collective bargaining conference with
the Union in New York a week ago today
In our opinion, there is no just basis from
any point of view for a wage increase to our
steel workers of the large size you have pro­
posed, which, if put into effect, is certain
to result in great financial harm not only to
this Corporation but also to users of steel in
general.
As I have tried to make clear to you and
ofher Government officials during our con­
ferences in Washington over the past few
days, there is a limit in the extent to which
the Union wage demands can be met by us.
We reached that limit when we raised our
offer to the Union last Friday from a wage
increase of 12% cents an hour to one of 15
cents an hour. This would constitute the
highest single wage increase ever made by
our steel-making subsidiaries. Our offer of
15 cents was equivalent to meeting 60% of
the Union’s original excessive demand of a
$2 a day genera) wage increase. Our offer
met 75% of the Union’s final proposal of a
wage increase of 19% cents an hour. A wage
increase of 15 cents an hour, such as we of­
fered, would increase the direct labor costs
of our manufacturing subsidiaries by ap­
proximately $60,000,000 a year. That is a
most substantial sum, and does not take into
account the higher costs we shall have to pay
for purchased goods and services, when large
wage increases generally become effective
throughout American industry, as is inevit­
able after a substantial increase in steel
wages.
As you know, collective bargaining nego­
tiations with the Union broke down at the
White House yesterday afternoon, because
Mr. Murray then refused to budge from his
position that a country-wide steel strike
must take place, unless steel workers are
granted a general wage increase of 19%
cents an hour. Our offer of a wage increase
of 15 cents an hour was again rejected by
the Union.
The Union threatened to go ahead with
its program for a national steel strike at
midnight next Sunday, although such a
strike will be a clear violation of the no­
strike provision contained in our labor con­
tracts with the Union, which continue by
their terms until October 15, 1946.
From the outset, we have recognized how
injurious a steel strike will be to reconver­
sion and to the economy of this whole coun­
try. Most industries are dependent upon a
supply of steel for their continued opera­
tions. We have done everything reasonably
within our power to avert such a strike. If
a strike occurs, the responsibility rests with
the Union.
When the Government at the eleventh
hour informed us about a week ago of its
willingness to sanction an increase in steel
ceiling prices, we at once resumed collective
bargaining negotiations with the Union. Such
price action by the Government was a rec­
ognition by it of the right of the steel in­
dustry to receive price relief because of past
heavy increases in costs, something which
the steel industry for many months has un­
successfully sought to establish with OPA
I should like again to point out some per­
tinent facts relative to the wages of our
steel workers.
Since January, 1941, the average straight-
time hourly pay, without overtime, of our
steel workers has increased more than the
33% increase in the cost of living during
that period, recently computed by Govern­
ment authorities. Steel workers’ wages have
kept pace with increased living costs. Such
average straight-time pay in our steel-pro­
ducing subsidiaries was $1.14 an hour in
each of the months of September, October
and November 1945, excluding any overtime
premium and any amount for correction of
possible wage inequities. An increase of 15
cents, in accordance with our offer, would
NEHALEM
MARKET AND GROCERY
Phone 721
raise such average straight-time pay to $1.29
an hour, placing such pay among the highest
today in all of American industry.
Under our offer of a 15 cent increase, the
average weekly take-home pay of our steel
workers for a forty-hour week would amount
to $51.60, assuming that no overtime is in­
volved. This figure is only $4.54 less than
the actual average weekly earnings of these
employees, including overtime, in the last
full war year of 1944, when the average
work week was 46.1 hours. The difference
is really less, because we will undoubtedly
continue to have overtime in the future, just
as we have at the present time. In Novem­
ber, 1945, overtime premiums to our steel
wor-kers aggregated more than $1,300,000.
Such reduction of $4.54 in weekly take-home
pay is the natural consequence of a shorter
work week of forty hours, and therefore one
of lower production.
Much as we desire to avoid a steel strike,
we cannot overlook the effect both on this
Corporation and on our customers and
American business in general, of the 18%
cent an hour wage increase, which you have
proposed. Such a wage increase must result
in higher prices for steel than have pre­
viously been proposed to us by the Govern­
ment. Great financial harm would soon fol­
low for all users of steel who would be obliged
to pay higher prices for their steel higher
wages to their employees, and still have the
prices for their own products subject to OPA
control. Such a high and unjustified wage
scale might well spell financial disaster for
'many of the smaller steel companies and for
a large number of steel fabricators and
processors. The nation needs the output of
these companies. Increased wages and in­
creased prices which force companies out of
business can only result in irreparable dam
age to the American people.
In our judgment, it is distinctly in the
public interest to take into account the in­
jurious effect upon American industry of an
unjustified wage increase in the steel industry.
After a full and careful consideration ot
your proposal, we have reached the conclu
sion above stated.
Respectfully yours,
Benjamin F. Fairless,
Pretident, United States Steel Corporation
United States Steel Corporation
3
Three quarters of the land pur­
chased by the company has small
second growth trees not suitable
for use as yet, Judge Ray Tar­
bell said, while some of the tract
has some fairly sizeable second
growth. The parcel is located
on the Nehalem watershed in
the vicinity of Vernonia and Bir­
kenfeld.
A Letter to the President
of the United States
Dear Mr. President:
Riverview Baautv Shop
Services on Saturday:
10:00 a.m.—Sabbath school.
11:00 a.m.—Gospel service.
8:00 p.m. Wednesday—Devo­
tional service.
Sermon by district leader—
First Saturday of each month.
A cordial invitation Js extended
to visitors.
FIRST CHRISTIAN
LATTER DAY SAINTS
January 18, 1946
Hon. Harry S. Truman
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, D. C.
We style and arrange your
hair to add to jfour other at­
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a perfect complement to your
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pass the critical eye of our
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are
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SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST